Jonathan Mark Turner

Hello,

My name is Jonathan, and I first would like to say, “Thank you to all who contribute to my cause”. I’m not one who is used to asking for help. I’ve always been very independent and very much a “go-getter” in life. However, life has thrown me a curve ball, and I am in need of a different vehicle to maintain my independence and support of myself. I hold down a job in retail and live completely on my own, when I’m not dealing with medical issues. I was born with spina bifida, and for most of my life I have adapted and overcame the challenges and hardship that comes from being wheelchair bound. However, as of three years ago I’ve been dealing with a continuous accumulation of medical issues, starting with having neck surgery, because of compression on my spinal cord. The injury to my neck stems from continual use and abuse of my upper body to compensate for the loss of function and ability to the lower half of my body.

Most of last year, I was in and out of the hospital starting with the removal of my bladder and the formation of my urostomy “stoma”. Since the beginning of last year, I have had nothing but complications with my stoma and kidneys, and now I have Nephrostomy tubes placed to allow my ureters to reactivate. This is a rare condition where my ureters which lead into my kidneys have quit working like they should and are labeled by urologist as “lead pipe ureters”.

The reason why I have started this campaign, is to accomplish my goal of acquiring a van that will make transportation to and from work and other places more effortlessly and painlessly. As for my current situation, I drive a car, that quite frankly is on it’s last leg and could fail at any time. On top of that, I have to disassemble and reassemble my wheelchair every time I get in or out of the vehicle.

I am currently 43 years old, and I am not getting any younger. Which leads to the fact, that with all of these complications that I’m dealing with in my life, preservation of my body is at the forefront, and I’m going to have to switch to a vehicle that is more reliable and makes entering and exiting easier and less complicated.

So I greatly appreciate you taking time to view my campaign and if you find it in your heart to help me, from the bottom of my heart I thank you.